Thank you. Actually, i do have a question. While it's not as bad, I noticed my idler pulley is leaning a little bit again. My guess is that the metal bracket, having been bent, is now weaker, and bends more easily. I'm thinking a fairly thick fender washer, or a small metal plate with a hole in it, would help strengthen that area. Does that sound reasonable?

It does, and I have had to strengthen bracket like that. If the bracket is shaped like this ... ¬ ... I would probably find a stiff 'L' bracket to weld up underneath the original bracket to help strengthen it. That is if the bend is at the 'L'. If the flat top part is bending in the middle, then yeah... a heavy flat washer should be enough to do the job - but I would probably place that UNDER the bracket. If you place it on top, the plate will still bend under the washer. I hope that helps. If not... let me know :)

Save "hundreds" of dollars? I think you've been going to the wrong mechanics! lol As a mechanic myself, though, I must add that that is much easier to do if you take the deck out from under the mower first. Plus, most decks are NOT as spotless as yours, so removing the deck also allows for the removal of debris. And since most pulleys fail on well used machines, as opposed to brand new units, nuts and bolts never come off that easily! But, nevertheless, very useful tutorial. :)

If you want your mower fixed around here, you have to pay someone to come to your house and do it if you can't load it up on the truck and take it to their shop. They know this, and intend to charge quite a bit for that home visit. I always use a leaf blower to clean the mowing deck before I start working on it. I guess I should've shown that in the video! The night was super easy to take off. Maybe I just got lucky.